Naby Keita seems ready to take over Ferencvaros from Bundesliga club Werder Bremen
Naby Keita has been given a lifeline by Ferencvaros after a disastrous spell at Werder Bremen.
The midfielder came to Bremen from Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2023. He has also impressed on Merseyside, with injuries limiting him to just 49 players. Premier League starts in five years.
The Reds had paid RB Leipzig £52 million to sign him in the summer of 2018 and he returned to the Bundesliga hoping to kick-start his career. However, those hopes were quickly dashed as he failed to secure a regular place in the Bremen team.
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Last year he made just five Bundesliga appearances, only one of which was a starting spot. This season has been even worse, with Keita disappearing from the first team altogether after coach Ole Herner urged him to find a new club.
Herner recently said, “I believe it’s best for both parties to just look ahead and into the future, to see what good solutions Naby can find for himself and what solutions we can find without him.”
It seems Keita may have found his solution, just in time for the January transfer window. According to Bild, Keita will be loaned to Hungarian champions Ferencvaros next month. On Sunday he was sitting in the stands watching a match.
The deal could include a purchase option and could be completed in the next ‘two to three days’. Keita has been sent to train with the youth team this season after being suspended by the club last year for refusing to travel to an away match.
He had returned home when he found out he was not in the starting line-up for a match against Bayer Leverkusen. Keita was handed a significant fine, with Bremen sporting director Clemens Fritz insisting the club would not tolerate his behaviour.
“We will not tolerate Naby’s behavior,” Fritz said. He let his team down at a time of difficulty surrounding our recent form and availability of squads and placed his own interests above those of the team.
“We cannot allow that. At this stage of the season we need full focus on the remaining matches and a team that stays together. That is why we no longer have any alternative.”
Keita has not hidden his frustrations over his lack of playing time. He told The Guardian in October: “I had the option to extend my stay at Liverpool, but after five years I wanted to get more playing time elsewhere.”
“I was also convinced by what the coach and management of Bremen had to say. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan. Many people say to me: ‘Naby, you are injured, why don’t you want to play for Bremen? ‘ I say, ‘No, I’m fine’.”
“Since I came back from the Africa Cup of Nations (in February) all I wanted to do was play for the fans and the club. But that’s not up to me. The club decided to put me in the under-23s. I train with them and help the young while I wait for the wheels to turn.”
